Discover Me
by lost euphoria
Summary: After Link defeats Ganondorf, Zelda and him are left to rule Hyrule. Reviews please.
1. Chapter 1

The wind was at his back, blowing his golden locks into his eyes. He stood there, at the edge of Hyrule Field, watching the sunrise over the castle spires. The silent hero shifted his quiver that was hanging precariously off his shoulder and scanned the land that was blanketed in silence, everyone was at ease. Ganondorf was defeated and he no longer threatened the land that sprawled before him. To his right, he could see Death Mountain looming overhead, and he could hear the water flowing from Zora's River.

Everything was different though, Link found it hard to go anywhere without someone stopping him. Instead of ruling over the land that he just saved with Zelda, he would escape to the Lost Woods and battle the monsters that threatened to escape, finding it difficult to sit still for very long. He began his walk back to the castle, and knew that Zelda was ready to berate him for staying out all night.

Their relationship had grown after his quest was finished, Zelda was stunning, and strong, and very opinionated, and Link knew that all too well. He found himself stealing glances at her when she wasn't looking, and he would get lost in her beauty. But he needed to hide his feelings from her; she had become his companion, not his girlfriend. If his feelings were revealed, the connection between the two of them would surely break.

He was suddenly trotting across the draw bridge, nodding to the guards that saluted their fearsome hero. Since the sun was still rising, most of the citizens were still sleeping, it was easy for him to get to the castle unnoticed, but inside was a different story. The second he stepped inside, he was under fire.

"Where have you been all night?" Zelda had been waiting on the enormous staircase that made her seem small and meek.

Her striking blue eyes captivated him and rendered him speechless. She looked more tired than usual, she was exhausted, he knew that she hadn't slept at all that night, "well, are you going to answer me?"

He forgot that she had questioned him and swallowed the lump in his throat, "I got caught up, I'm sorry…" his voice began to trail off and he stepped towards her. She stood and approached him, reaching out for Epona's harness, which he had been squeezing.

"Go get some sleep; I'll take care of Epona." Zelda quietly lead the worn out horse to the stables around back, singing softly to her. She was beautiful even retreating, and as Link climbed the stairs, he began to wish that she would visit him in his dreams.


	2. Chapter 2

Link discarded all of his gear onto the floor next to his bed and pulled his green tunic over his head, feeling the cold air wrap around his midsection. He shivered a little and quickly dove under the covers, pulling them up to his chin. His mind began to wander as he fought his heavy eyelids. Sleep began to overtake him, not wanting to succumb yet; he kicked the covers off and breathed in the cool fall air. Outside, the sun was rising higher into the gray sky as Link turned to feed the slowly burning fire. It gave off enough heat to make the hero sweat most of the night, but right now, he was barely able to feel its warmth.

There was a quiet, light knock on the heavy wooden door, "it's open," he said tossing another log on.

The door creaked open and Zelda poked her head in, "why aren't you sleeping?" Her eyes scanned his bare chest as she closed the door behind her. She sat on his bed, her mesmerizing eyes captivating him.

"It's cold, I was trying to start a fire," he said softly.

She placed his bulging wallet in between the two of them and rose to leave, "you left that with Epona. Try and get at least an hour or two of sleep before the day begins." She closed the door silently behind her, leaving the hero in cold loneliness.

"Stay with me," he whispered to himself, longing for her to come back. He crawled under the covers again and this time let his exhaustion take over, wishing that the maiden would be with him in slumber.

* * *

><p>Link awoke to the crashing sounds of thunder only hours later. He kicked the covers off him and opened the door to find Zelda quickly approaching, a look of discomfort on her face, "good, you're awake." She brushed past him and perched on the edge of his bed, waiting for him.<p>

"Is the storm bothering you?" He questioned sitting next to her. She moved closer and nodded, covering her ears to block out the sound of the violent storm. Ever since she had escaped the castle from Ganondorf with Impa, storms had made her uneasy. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her even closer. He could feel her warm cheek against his bare chest and his heartbeat increased.

"Link; your heart is beating really quickly, is everything okay?" She questioned pulling away. He cursed his heartbeat and dropped his hand to rub her back, "I'm fine." He replied smiling. She smiled back and rested her head on his shoulder, and when she was this close, he could smell her long hair, she always smelled like flowers.

His heart rate began to speed up again, thankfully Zelda didn't notice. He grabbed her waist and kissed the top of her head, moving slowly as to not startle her, "everything's going to be fine," he reassured, "I'll keep you safe."


	3. Chapter 3

He stepped outside onto the spongy earth and gripped the handle of his sword. When Zelda had asked him to put it back so she could erase everything that had happened, He couldn't part with it. After Navi had left, he desperately wanted to cling to something. He slowly pulled to sword out of its sheath and swung it smoothly through a Deku Baba. Something churned inside of him, he felt bad for leaving Zelda sleeping in his bed, but the way his legs ached when he sat still, the way he ached to be outside, he couldn't sit still any longer. And something kept calling him back to the Lost Woods, there was danger there. And the Kokiri's needed him to stop the monsters from creeping out on them. All I wanted was to be needed, preferably by Zelda, but she was more than independent enough for the both of them. Link slung his quiver, sword, and shield over a low hanging branch and sat on a rock, fingering the threading on his boots.

"You're back again." Her voice was precise, and she announced every word perfectly. He turned around to find Saria standing at the entrance of the Forest Temple. He hadn't seen her since Ganon was banished, and he never thought he would again. He knew she was unable to leave the temple, but he approached her anyways, "I've been watching you, whenever you come back here."

"I can't stay away. Something keeps bringing me back," he replied, taking in everything. Saria reached out for his hand, but stopped before she reached the outside.

"We were never supposed to be together," she whispered. "You have Zelda now."

"No, I don't. Zelda has no idea how I feel about her," he retorted. Angry bubbled inside of him when he thought of his hidden emotions. He had defeated the king of evil, but a beautiful woman shook him to his core.

"Link…" Saria sounded disappointed when she said his name this time. "Tell her, nothing will happen if she doesn't know how you fell." She let her words sink in.

"It's harder than you think," he whispered. He knew it was hard for them to talk about this. He loved Saria, and neither of them needed to say anything about it, but they could never be together, and he knew that it was killing her to talk about this.

"I don't know when I will see you again, it may not be for a while, but please, talk to Zelda. You deserve her." She smiled at him and disappeared before his eyes, the only thing that remained was her melodic tune. Link removed his cap and ran his fingers through his knotted hair. Gathering his things, he began his walk back to the town and was crafting his speech to Zelda, if he even had the guts to say anything to her. He whistled for Epona and waited for his only companion to come running back to him. And when he saw the royal drapes tied to Epona, he realized that this would be the hardest thing he had ever done.


	4. Chapter 4

Link's found his imagination getting the best of him as he trudged back to the castle, "Epona, what am I going to do?" he whispered to his only companion now that Navi had left him. He glanced towards the castle, watching as the sun began to set behind the spires, knowing that Zelda was waiting in there for him.

* * *

><p>"Link! I can't thank you enough!" Zelda beamed and threw her arms around the boy. At the beginning of his journey, he was naïve and weak, a mere boy. And Zelda, just as young, bestowed a demanding quest upon him, save her kingdom or die. And he had done it, for her, and for the people that surrounded them.<p>

"We must remove this from history," she whispered in his ear, "this will haunt everyone that was involved." He pulled away from the gripping princess, doing nothing to hide the shocked look on his face.

"No, Zelda. I can protect everyone; I can live up to my title." He begged her, clasping her delicate gloved hands in between his rough ones.

The way she looked at him, it was like she was looking into his soul, reading his mind, his feelings.

* * *

><p>When he stepped into the castle, he began to remove his mud stained boots, carefully untying and unlacing them until he could slip his foot out with ease. He took his time with the little things, undressing, leading Epona to the stables, putting away his equipment, all the while trying to craft what he was going to say to Zelda. This was going to change absolutely everything, he couldn't help but think that if this went wrong, she would bring him to the Temple of Time and make him put the sword back. He cringed at the thought of losing everything and took a deep breath in.<p>

"Zelda?" He hollered her named through the halls, his voice bouncing back to greet him. She poked her head over the balcony, her blonde hair forming curtains on either side of her beautiful face.

"You're back!" He smiled at the enthusiasm in her voice and thought to himself that this might work in his favor. "Quick! Come up here!"

A smile stretched across his face and he ran up the stairs, two by two. This was it, he was finally going to get all of this off his chest and they could finally be together. As he approached her room, the smell of her drifted towards him.

"Look!" She pulled the hero over towards the window.

And that's when his heart skipped a beat and a smiled spread across his face like wildfire, only expanding the one that was plastered there before.

His old friend, Navi, began bouncing back through the wind towards the castle.


	5. Chapter 5

The small fairy had thrown herself into Link with such force that he was almost knocked over. It had been ages since he last saw her, and the awkward tension that laid between them began to settle. Navi turned towards Zelda, almost as if giving her a once over. Link had often thought to himself that there was some jealously there, but he would never actually say anything.

"What brings you back?" Zelda asked excitedly, either ignoring the look Navi had given her or just didn't notice her.

Navi ignored Zelda and turned back to Link, she floated to the familiar spot over his shoulder and rested next to him, "I couldn't deny this anymore." Navi was speaking so softly that Link strained himself to hear. Zelda eyed him curiously.

"What are you talking about?" He whispered through his teeth. He turned so his back was towards Zelda, not knowing how she would react to Navi's feelings.

"This feeling that I have for you, we can't deny that it's there. It's been there since the beginning. I watched you grow and flourish, Link."

It was then that Link actually saw Navi for what she was. She wasn't just some floating orb, she was a tiny woman. She had waves and waves of long auburn hair and pointed, delicate features. She had icy blue eyes that looked right through him, and as she stood perked on his shoulder, he could see that she was roughly the size of his whole head. But, she was telling him that their friendship meant more to her, that she had grown feelings for him, that Navi, this tiny woman, wanted to be more than friends with him. Link glanced back at Zelda, she had a puzzled look on her face and crossed her arms impatiently.

_What's going on?_ She mouthed, cocking an eyebrow up.

Link turned back to face Navi, "what are you trying to say?" He urged her to finally confess what they both knew.

She fluttered her paper thin wings until she was floating in front of him, inches away from his lips. She placed her small hands onto the corners of his lips and pressed her small lips against his lower one. Zelda gasped, her hands covering her mouth, and a look of rage masked her pristine face. She clenched her fists and picked the small fairy up by her wings, dangling her in front of the princess' face.

"What may I ask, do you think you're doing?" Zelda demanded.

Navi crossed her arms and laughed in her face, "doing what I've wanted to do since I first met him, he's mine princess," she spat, trying to wriggle out of Zelda's fingers.

The girls faced Link, a demanding look on both of their faces. "Choose." They said in unison.

And suddenly, Link was faced with a whole new problem.


	6. Chapter 6

The two woman were burning holes into the back of Link's forest green cap. What was happening? Did this mean that Zelda felt the same way about him? Or was she suddenly jealous that Navi had confessed?

Suddenly, the sturdy ground beneath his feet began to rumble and the sky turned a menacing gray. Link turned quickly and grabbed Navi and Zelda, holding them close to ensure they were safe. Zelda screamed, and Link felt her slipping slowly from his grasp. "Zelda! No!" He grabbed her delicate arms and squeezed tight, digging his short, ragged nails into her sleeve.

"What's happening?" Zelda shouted. She sounded terrified, her voice breaking as the ground continued to shake beneath them. There was a deafening crack and everything had fallen still and silent. Link kept his grip on both woman, holding their trembling bodies as he craned his head to peak out the window. There was a jagged split in the earth and the darkness that Link and Navi had fought back months before had began to seep back out into Hyrule.

After making sure Zelda was locked away safely in the highest tower of the castle, Link and Navi began to journey to the spot where the earth had split in two. The tension between them was heavy and loaded, but neither of them spoke. Navi's paper-thin wings flapped quickly as she lead Link through the thick brush. He watched her tiny frame move easily through the air, and he wondered to himself how they would work together. If Link sneezed the tiny fairy would be blown away.

"Navi, wait," Link heard himself blurt.

She turned to him expectantly, "yes?"

"I love Zelda..." he heard himself say. He looked anywhere but at her. She was crestfallen, but she nodded. "I know. But, please, give me a chance." She begged him, her hands clasped and her eyes shone with tears.

"Let's just focus on this," he said turning to face the the trees. She rested upon his shoulder and lightly kissed the skin behind his ear, "whatever you say." She whispered.


	7. Chapter 7

Once Link and Navi had emerged from the tangled jungle of foes that was once Castle Town, they saw the destruction that had befallen the Temple of Time. Navi gasped, and Link could see that she had brought her tiny hands to cover her mouth.

The Hero of Time cautiously stepped forward towards the decimated building, surveying the damage that had been done. As he reached the crumbled doors, he peered through the dusty darkness. The floor of them temple had completely fallen out. There was a gaping hole with a deep crimson red portal the stretched across the length of the floor. Nothing was left of the scared temple.

"Do you think he broke the seal?" Navi asked. This was the question that was dwelling in the back of Link's mind, recalling Ganondorf's last promise; to return and execute all of his descendants.

"I don't think that's what happened…I think.." Link began, carefully inspecting the portal that slowly churned below them. "I think he was summoned. Someone powerful enough broke the seal for him and called for him…"

"But who has the power? None of the sages would do such a thing!" Navi cried out, trembling with anger. Link didn't want to think that any of those who had helped him seal the Dark Lord away would help break him out. Without him knowing what really happened, all he could do was assume.

"Navi, as of right now, we only have our facts. Somehow, Ganondorf is back. We have to meet with the sages about this."

The one who had summoned the King of Darkness stood before his crumpled form, pitying his Master who had become so weak, "Get up." He order, nudging Ganondorf with his foot. The King slowly lifted his head and peered into the shadows where his savior stood.

"Who are you?" He managed to sneer.

"The one who saved you from that pathetic realm those sorry sages sealed you away in. You should be thanking me!" He shouted, still lurking behind a veil of darkness.

"Show your face," The Dark Lord ordered, leaning back on his haunches. His whole body ached from the battle that had expelled him.

"My identity is irrelevant. I have a task for you, something that I know you've wanted to do since the beginning," the mysterious savior stepped further into the darkness. "I want you to eliminate the Hero of Time."

A slow smile played on the Lord's lips, "as you wish."


End file.
